Life-saving appliance.



. PATENTED MAY 30, 1905. c. DOUGHERTY & H. F. WILKINSON.

LIFE SAVING APPLIANCE.

7 APPLICATION rum) AUG. 22, 1904.

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Jwveraonr m wmm V T wm. .w u@. M &% UN \MQW N v 8 No. 791.255. PATENTEDMAY '30, 1905;

G. DOUGHERTY 8: H. F. WILKINSON.

LIFE SAVING APPLIANCE. APPLIOATION FILED we. 22, 1904.

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UNITED STATES Patented May 30, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES DOUGHERTY AND HENRY F. WILKINSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

LIFE-SAVING'APPILIANC'E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of LettersPatent No. 791,255, dated May 30,1905.

Application filed August 22, 1904. Serial No. 221,804:- I

Brooklyn, city of New York, in the county of Kings and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life- SavingAppliances, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad therein to the accompanying thereof.

Our invention relates to life-rafts or buoyant life-saving appliancesfor use on vessels,

drawings, forming a part and has for its object to provide such anappliance as a useful part of the structure of the vessel, but soconstructed and so located that it may be instantly detached and droppedoverboard for the performance of its life-saving functions. I

To the accomplishment of this object our invention includes theprovision of a railing which shall possess effective buoyancy andflotative stability and other desirable attributes of a life-savingappliance and includes means for detachably retaining this life-raftrailing in upright position, so that its detachment and launching may bespeedily effected with the exertion of little strength and no especialskill. The desirable form of a railing with its greatest lateraldimension that of height and the usual location of a railing along theedge of a deck contribute-to the ready performance of the launchingoperation.

Our invention also includes various advantageous features ofconstruction and combination of parts, such as will more fully appearfrom the following particular description of the constructions embodyingour invention illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. We will nowdescribe such constructions and will thereafter point out our inven-'tion in claims.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a life-raft railing in position on avessel with portions of decks of the vessel in section. Fig. 2 is avertical central cross-section of the same. Fig. 3 is a horizontalsection of the same.

.- 'Figsi i is-an enlarged vertical central section of a portion of thelife-raft railing detached from the vessel. Fig. '5 is a side elevation,

open or net work construction is desirable,

while the construction shown in Figs. 5 and Y 6 is particularly designedfor use on ferryboats or for other uses where a closed structure isdesirable.

The railing'is composed of separate sections, each section constitutinga life-raft. In the construction of vessels uprights are usuallyprovided extending from deck to deck. These uprights are usually spacedat suitable intervals apart to permit of the inclusion of'a suitablelife-raft railing-section between them and are so located as to permitof the attachment of the life-raft railing-sections to them, so as tomaintain the sections in position. Two of these uprights a a are shownin Figs. 1, 2, and 3 extending from a lower deck .7) to an upper deck 0.Should these uprights be not present or available, posts .or uprightsmay be especially provided for the .attachment of the life-raft railing.A complete section of life-raft railing is shown between these twouprights, and portions of sections of liferaft railings are shownextending from these uprights toward the next adjacent uprights. Theentire railing may be built up in this manner of life-raft sections.

The construction of life-raft railing shown in Figs. 1 to f, inclusive,comprises in each section an upper horizontal rail cl and a lowerhorizontal rail 6 and stanchions f, extending from upper rail to lowerrail. These rails and stanchions are of tubular construction and aredivided by bulkheads i into several separate water-tight compartments.As shown, each upper rail d and lower rail 6 is made up of two pieces ofoval cross-section and rigidly secured together in a water-tight manner,and the stanchions f are rigidly secured to the upper and lower rails ina water-tightmanner and are suitably spaced so as to provide a firmconstruction, two stanchions being quite close together near the middleof each section, so as to conveniently hold between them theactuating-shaft g of the locking means. For the attachment of thebearings 0 of the actuating-shaft and also for the attachment of thewires or ropes of the lattice construction j angle-iron strips h areprovided. The locking means include bolts 70, of which two are shown ateach end of each section. These bolts slide in eyes 222, projecting fromthe upper and lower rails, respectively, and also in bearing-tubes setin the stanchions. Springs Z are secured to the stanchions and bearagainst projections on the bolts and tend to maintain the bolts inlocked position, and in this locked position the bolts enter socketsformed in the uprights a. For the purpose of withdrawing the bolts theyare connected by chains or cables 19 with sheaves n on theactuatingshaft 9, and a handle is provided on the actuating-shaft forthe ready actuation of the shaft to wind the cables on the sheaves andwithdraw the bolts. This construction permits all the bolts of anysection to be instantly withdrawn by the actuation of the handle 9. Thelower rail is provided with a number of downwardly-extending pins t,which are rigidly secured thereto and which enter half-open sockets r,secured to the deck. These sockets are open at their inner sides, butclosed at their outer sides, so that they resist any outward pressure onthe rail when the rail is locked in place, but so that they readilypermit the rail to be tilted or toppled over outwardly after the boltshave been withdrawn. The upper rail is provided with a number of eyes a,to which a guard-line or life-line may be attached. In the constructionshown the eyes u, pins 2,, and the guide-eyes m for the bolts are madeintegral with pads, whereby they are brazed or otherwise firmly securedto the upper and lower rails, respectively.

In the modified construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6 the stanchions areomitted and the upper and lower rails d and e are joined by a flatclosed hollow structure made up of front and rear walls 8 and ofbulkheads or partitions *0, so as to constitute air-tight tanks dividedby bulkheads into separate compartments. In this modified constructionthe cables p for actuating the bolts are located outside of the tanks,and the bolts have guideeyes 21) projecting from the tanks in additionto the guide-eyes m projecting from the horizontal rails.

The structures above described are of. considerable buoyancy and arepractically unsinkable, for the reason that they contain numerousseparate air-com partments. They are of a form which is desirable forlife-rafts, being. of considerable flotative stability and easilygrasped and held by persons in the water and capable of entirelysupporting persons who are in an exhausted or enfeebled condition. Incase of sudden disaster they can be operated by any passenger. Theoperation consists merely in swinging the handle 9, thereby withdrawingthe bolts, and slightly pressing the upper part of the railingsectionoutward. The bolts are shown in withdrawn position in Fig. 5. Thewithdrawal of the bolts puts the section in a condition of unstableequilibrium, and it is already at the side of the vessel and on the edgeof the deck, and therefore a slight outward pressure is all that isrequired to launch it. Should a panic ensue and the rails be forcedoutward, the same result would be attained, and even if passengers areforced overboard with the railing they will go overboard withlife-rafts, which will sustain them in the water.

By the words railing or railing-section as used in the claims we do notdesignate merely the upper rail of the guard structure or bulwark of avessel, but substantially the complete structure, which constitutes theguard or bulwark.

It is obvious that various modifications may be made in theconstructions shown and above particularly described within theprinciple and scope of our invention.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A buoyant railing, in combination with means for detachably securingit in upright position on a vessel.

2. A buoyant railing provided with a plurality of water-tightcompartments, in combination with means for detachably securing it inupright position on a vessel.

3. A buoyant railing provided with a plurality of locking devices forholding it in upright position on a vessel, and provided with a singlemember controlling all of the locking devices.

4. A buoyant railing provided with a plurality of bolts for holding itin u 'iright position on a vessel, and means for withdrawing all of thebolts at one operation.

5. A buoyant railing provided with a plurality of bolts for holding itin upright position on a vessel, and provided with a single memberarranged to withdraw all of the bolts at one operation.

6. A buoyant railing provided with a plurality of locking devices forholding it in upright position on a vessel, retractive ll'lOtLllS foryieldingly retaining the locking devices in locked position, and asingle member arranged to control all the locking devices.

7. A buoyant railing provided with a plurality of bolts for holding itin upright position on a vessel, separate means for each bolt arrangedto yieldingly retain the bolt in locking position, and a single memberarranged. to

control all of the bolts.

8. A buoyant railing provided with a plurality of bolts for holding itin, upright position on a vessel, an actuating-shaft, flexibleconnections from the shaft to all of the bolts,

and Winding means on the shaft for such flexifble connections.

9. Arailing-section provided with buoyant means at its longitudinaledges and means for detachably securing it in upright position on avessel.

10. A railing-section provided with buoyantmeans at its longitudinaledges and also with buoyant members extending transversely across thesection, and means for detachably tion on a vessel.

12. A railing-section comprising longitudinally-disposed buoyant rails,buoyant transverse members connecting the rails, and means ant upperrail and a buoyant lower rail, each provided with water-tightcompartments, and rigid means connecting the upper and lower rails, incombination with locking means for detachably holding the section inupright position on a vessel.

16. A railing-section consisting of a buoyant upper rail and a buoyantlower rail and means for rigidly connecting the upper and lower rails,incombination with bolts located in proximity to the extremities of theupper and lower rails for holding the section in upright position on avessel.

17. A railing-section consisting of a buoyant upper rail and a buoyantlower rail and rigid means connecting the upper and lower rails, andprovided with a plurality of looking devices for holding it in uprightposition on a vessel and a single manually-operatable part controllingall of the locking devices.

18. A railing-section consisting of a buoyant upper rail and a buoyantlower rail, each provided with water-tight compartments, and rigid meansconnecting the upper and lower rails,in combination with bolts locatedin proximity to the extremities of the upper and lower rails, anactuating-shaft and a handle therefor, flexible connections from theshaft to all of the bolts, and winding means for such flexibleconnections, substantially as set forth.

.19. A railing-section consisting of a buoyant upper rail and a buoyantlower rail, and buoyant stanchions connecting the upper and lower rails,in combination with means for securing the section in uprightposition-on a vessel.

20. A railing-section consisting of a buoyant upper rail and a buoyantlower rail and buoyant stanchions connecting the upper and lower rails,the upper and lower rails and stanchions being provided with water-tightcompartments, in combination with locking means for detachably holdingthe section in upright position on a vessel.

21. A railing-section consisting of a buoyant upper rail and a buoyantlower. rail and buoyant stanchions connecting the upper and. lowerrails, in combination with bolts located in proximity to the extremities.of the upper and lower rails for holding the section in uprightposition on a vessel.

22. A railing-section consisting of a buoyant upper rail and a buoyantlow er rail and buoyant stanchions connecting the upper and lower rails,and provided with a plurality of locking devices for holding it inupright position on a vessel, and a single manually-operatable partcontrolling all of the locking devices. I

23. A railing-section consisting of a buoyant upper rail and a buoyantlower rail and buoyant stanchions connecting the upper and lower rails,in combination with bolts located in proximity to the extremities of theupper and lower rails, an actuating-shaft, flexible connections from theshaft to all of the bolts, and winding means for such flexibleconnections, substantially as set forth.

24:. A railing-section consisting of a buoyant upper rail and a buoyantlower rail and buoyant stanchions connecting the upper and lower rails,the upper and lower rails and stanchions being provided with water-tightcompartments, in combination with bolts located in proximity to theextremities of the upper and lower rails, an actuating-shaft and ahandle therefor,flexible connections from the shaft to all of the bolts,and winding means for such flexible connections, substantially as setforth. In testimony whereof we have afl ixed our signatures in presenceof two witnesses.

CHARLES DOUGHERTY. HENRY F. WILKINSON. Witnesses:

(-HENRY D. WILLIAMS,

ALBERT V. T. DAY.

'lIO

